Irony

Hey guys, thanks again for waiting for my chapters. I promise the posting schedule will get better from now on. Also, I am still working on the magical book inspired by this story but meanwhile, I am going to publish another romance for a competition. If you like that story give it support. 

Love you all,

Author.

*****

Chris's surroundings shivered with Salazar Slytherin's hands and everything around them started to change. At once the greenery around them was gone and they were plunged into complete darkness. At first sight, the darkness was so heavy, that Chris couldn't even see her hands in front of her but slowly her eyes settled to the darkness and she saw Fergus standing a little from her. She was about to call out to him when she noticed the person standing in front of him. 

Maligno was standing in front of Fergus looking terrified. 

Unconsciously Chris stepped closer to them to hear what they were talking about.

"Go back to what? Being friends?" Fergus stepped away from Maligno. "You are a little late for apologies, Maligno. We can't go back in time and even if we could, I would have never been friends with someone like you."

"You don't . . . you don't mean that, Gus. Take that back!" Maligno spoke furious but there was nothing intimidating about his aura.

"But I do mean it, Maligno," Fergus spoke loud and clear and Maligno flinched. "However, there is only one thing I would take back . . . the thing that was never yours. Once I gave it to you and started this mess, so now I am here to take it back from you and end this once and for all."

Terror filled Maligno's yellow predatory eyes as he realized what Fergus wanted to take back.

"No! Gus, you can't –" 

Fergus didn't wait for Maligno to finish talking before he plunged his hand inside Maligno's chest.

But that seemed to wake Maligno up from his trance or whatever he was feeling which made him not attack Fergus up until now. Maligno jerked back before Fergus could grab the crystal from his chest. Blood came gushing out of Maligno's chest but he barely paid any attention to it.

"No!" Maligno shouted, glaring at Fergus. "No, I have worked too hard to reach here. I have spent countless minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, and centuries to achieve my dreams. I won't let you turn this into nothing. No matter who you are or how powerful you are."

"But it will go to waste, Maligno. You will be defeated today," Fergus said with finality but didn't move an inch from his place to attack Maligno and it clicked in Maligno's mind.

"You are powerless . . . you are – Oh my . . ." Maligno whispered as the realization stuck then he started laughing loudly. "You almost had me fooled, Gus. I thought you were really capable of defeating me. But this is not the real world, is it? You have brought us into the soul world. You gave up your corporal body a long ago when you split your powers. So there was no way you could feel this corporal in the real world. And judging by the amount of power you gave that pathetic girl to keep her alive, your soul left in the temple would have very little power. Now, you have used that power to bring me – or rather my soul here for this confrontation, leaving yourself completely powerless. Gus, did you really think I wouldn't catch on? Did you really think your powerless soul could defeat me – my soul, when I had fed on the power of the crystal for centuries, not to mention the souls I have consumed? Your soul cannot defeat my soul, Gus. Doing the right thing or rather trying to do the right thing had left you powerless, again. You lost, Gus. You lost again."

Fergus heard Maligno's little speech patiently but didn't react at all. After he finished talking, Fergus looked over at Maligno and smiled, which made Maligno's smile disappear.

"As I said before, you were always smart Maligno," Fergus spoke coolly. "I always knew that but do you know what your fatal flaw is? That you always underestimated the powers of your opponent. You are right for the most part. Yes, I had left very little amount of power with my soul, and yes, I used all of it to bring us here but you are wrong if you think you are the only person I brought here. It was never my plan to defeat you myself Maligno. Because if it was my destiny I would done that years ago. No, it isn't my destiny to destroy you."

Maligno immediately understood what Fergus meant by his words.

"Then whose destiny is it? Her? Surely you don't think that stupid mudblood can defeat me? I doubt she is capable of that even with your powers," Maligno chuckled but it was clear that he was nervous. However, in a split second, his eyes changed. "And if it's your powers you have faith in then, I would just have to kill your soul and see what happens to her with you and your powers gone."

And Maligno attacked Fergus, who dodged the attack just in the nick of time. On instinct, Chris's hands reached for her wand but someone's hand stopped her.

"You are just watching here," Salazar Slytherin said standing beside her. "This had already happened. You cannot change the situation here."

"But–" Chris tried to argue watching Maligno attack Fergus again and him simply dodging the attacks. And Maligno was right. His soul WAS strong. He was nothing like his normal old, weak self. He was fighting like he was in his youth. Fast, agile, powerful. He was fighting like he once fought that werewolf to save Fergus on Hogwarts grounds when they were young. The irony of that situation didn't escape Chris. Fergus was in real danger and she wanted to help him even just a little bit. But Salzar Slytherin shook his head.

"Have a little faith in yourself, Christina," Sir Salazar reminded.

Chris reluctantly nodded and watched the scene before her. Maligno was getting angry because of how easily Fergus dodged his attacks despite having no power. So, Maligno tried to trap Fergus to attack him. Silver chains sprouted from the ground and wrapped around Fergus, bringing him to his knees.

"You were saying, Gus?" Maligno mocked and Chris couldn't stop herself anymore, she started to run towards them to help Fergus, only to get outrun by herself.

Chris stopped dead in her tracks as her previous self ran towards Maligno while throwing a spell at Fergus. The spell connected to the silver chain around Fergus and it instantly broke like glass, freeing Fergus. The next spell hit Maligno and he quickly deflected it. 

"Brat," Maligno glared at Chris's past self and threw two spells back to back at her but she dismissed both of those attacks with a wave of her wand, which surprised Maligno.

"She does not feel very weak, now, does she?" Fergus smiled at Maligno, catching up to his thoughts. 

Present Chris stepped back to watch her previous self and Maligno starting to circle each other like two animals caged in a ring.

"It's the founders, isn't it? Helping her from great beyond, I see," Maligno sneered at Fergus. "Scared I would kill your little puppet doll if you don't help her?"

At that, Fergus laughed.

"See, that's what I was talking about. You think Christina's soul is weak. Do you really think Maligno that I could have been able to give her my powers if she was weak? If her soul was weak?"

Maligno glared at Fergus and while he was distracted, past-Chris attacked him. Maligno immediately got his attention back on her and attacked her with powerful spells in return. 

And it began.

Spells of different colours, and sparks flew back and forth. They were fast, faster than Chris had seen any duel in her life but she was able to keep up. She could clearly see her past self and Maligno locked in a furious battle. Both were trading the most powerful spells and deadly spells. Chris didn't know how her past self was fighting like that, but maybe for the first Chris could see that she was equally crazy powerful as an ancient wizard like Maligno. Maybe it was the founders' powers or Fergus's, but Chris was giving Maligno a good fight.

Chris had started to smile when Maligno faked an attack and broke through Chris's defences.

A dangerous spell hit old Chris on her right arm, slashing her arm and disarming her.

Maligno laughed as Chris held her bleeding arm.

[To be continued.]